How to Write an Objective for Customer Service

Writing customer service objectives helps build a stronger customer service team.

When you write an annual report or performance review, you create a number of objectives that focus on your company or a specific job within the company. The customer service department of a company must continue to grow to help build a strong brand. In a strategic plan or annual report, customer service objectives should feature prominently, outlining a set of strategic goals aimed at customer satisfaction.

Instructions

1. Form a customer service committee. Committee members should be knowledgeable about customer service matters and might include customer service representatives, managers and public relations and/or marketing specialists. As a group, review customer service procedures and identify what is working and what could use improvement. Examine how well customer service generates revenue, contains expenses and complies with regulatory rules, according to business writer Saul Carliner.

2. Review customer service data for the past year or two. Jot down any statistics you might find about customer complaints vs. satisfaction.

3. Write a paragraph about how well your company fulfilled any customer service objectives made last year. If you did not make your goal, write down why the plan failed. If you exceeded your goal, what attributed to your success?

4. Determine what your customer service goals should be for the coming year. Write a paragraph about what could be improved. Include information collected through regular consumer surveys and employee input.

   If you have an interactive website or a presence on social media where people can express interest or buy something electronically, examine that data. Examine how you are using online and social media sources to your advantage.

5. Write a paragraph about what has worked well. Maybe your statistics look good in a certain area. Maybe some employees are gifted at customer service. Perhaps you have changed the ordering process, and your volume has increased.

6. Write down three specific customer service goals for the coming year or quarter. Use action-oriented language. Under each objective, write a brief strategic plan explaining how the objectives will be achieved, and any milestones along the way. Maybe the website needs to be improved or revamped, employees need training or call or order volume should be improved by a certain factor.

7. Write another paragraph under each objective that outlines the expected benefit to the company for achieving each objective. Decide and specify what criteria will measure the success of each customer service objective.

8. Indicate in writing how the customer service goals will be monitored throughout the year or quarter by the committee or by management.

References

• Saul Carliner: Business Objectives